Six pilgrims dead, five missing as overloaded mini-truck falls into Ludhiana canal

Six pilgrims, including two children, died and five others went missing when an overloaded mini-truck plunged into the Sirhind canal near Ludhiana on Sunday night. The victims were returning from Naina Devi temple. Rescue operations are underway to trace the missing persons.

Chandigarh: At least six pilgrims, comprising two children, were killed and five people have gone missing after an overloaded mini-truck carrying 25 people fell into the swollen Sirhind canal in Punjab’s Ludhiana district, police said on Monday. The accident occurred near the Jagera bridge on the Malerkotla road near Dehlon village on Sunday night. Divers have been deployed on Monday to fish out the bodies from the canal.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, Senior Superintendent of Police Jyoti Yadav, local legislator Manvinder Singh Giaspura, among other officials from the police and administration, reached the spot in the morning to oversee the search operation. The police said most of the pilgrims were saved and admitted to nearby hospitals.

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The pilgrims were returning to their village, Manakwal, after paying obeisance at the famed hilltop Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district. Survivors told the police that overtaking was the cause of the accident. The driver lost control over the vehicle while overtaking another vehicle and the mini-truck overturned and fell into the canal, a survivor said.

Superintendent of Police Jyoti Yadav told the media that as they received information about the accident, a police and administration team reached the spot and took the injured to hospitals. She said six died in the accident and some were undergoing treatment in hospitals.

Deputy Commissioner Jain said 24 to 25 people were travelling in the vehicle and added that six people died in the mishap, including two children, three women and a man. Village Sarpanch Kesar Singh said on July 26 a group of 25 people from their village went to Naina Devi for paying obeisance in a pick-up vehicle. They met with an accident while returning home. Some injured were referred to Ahmedgarh Mandi, while others were rushed to Ludhiana and Khanna hospitals, he added.